Chalk Outlines
by Epically-ME
Summary: Things are going pretty well for Hiro; he has amazing friends, goes to his dream school and has done a great job at keeping his brother's legacy alive. But since losing Tadashi, he can't help but feel like theres something missing. So when a childhood friend comes back into his life, he finally feels closer to filling that void. Unfortunately, old friends often come with a price...
1. Clock Strikes At Midnight

**hey guys, Epically-Me here with another BH6 story. W**hat is that you ask? why yes, yes i am fully aware i'm going into dangerous territory writing a Oc fic. **I know that these kind of stories aren't very popular, but hey, i'm a sucker for them, and figured id do what i'm familiar with. :)**

**So with that being said, enjoy the read!**

**disclaimer: blah blah, i don't own anything, blah blah.***

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><p><em><span><strong>Chapter One:<strong>_

It was its usual dry, humid night in the city of Newbai; the dust-laced streets blared with the loud hustle and bustle of the masses as they continued on with their evening in the local Bazaars. A young woman by the name of Rikku Togoyashi raced through streets, in a rush to get back to her- or her father's, rather- penthouse downtown.

Miss Togoyashi had somehow come to the conclusion that sneaking out to tag a few buildings with her "street rat friends" (a term her father was rather fond of using) was a wonderful idea. After all, her dad was attending yet another one of his award ceremonies and wouldn't be home for quite a while. At the time, it seemed like a good plan; what with being able to get some well needed publicity for her artwork while simultaneously threatening the family career, but now, as she raced against the clock, she wasn't so sure.

"Dammit," she swore under breath, eyeing her beeping wristwatch and mentally slapping herself for not paying closer attention to the time. It read 11:45, and maybe -if she was lucky- she would make it home before anyone even figured out she was gone. Then again, she had never really been known for her luck

Rikku took a sharp turn, accidentally knocking a few older men over as she did so. " 'Scuse me, sorry, out of the way, please!" she called, not even bothering to glance over her shoulder as she continued to run, blatantly ignoring the swearing and middle fingers that were thrown her direction. Veering around yet another corner, the girl effectively squeezed herself through a narrow alleyway and dashed down the familiar streets of her neighborhood. She was close. Only a few blocks left and she was home free.

She then took another look at her watch and let out a sigh of relief. It now read 12:00. She was right on time. Taking a deep breath, Rikku jumped and hoisted herself up the rusty fire escape that was positioned directly beneath her bedroom window. Sliding the glass pane open, she landed soundlessly inside.

The room was dark, quiet and still, and Rikku listened softly for any signs that someone else was in the house. After a few moments of silence and a quick victorious fist pump, she decided it was safe and switched on the small lamp that sat on the nightstand next to her bed. Once she did, however, her eyes practically leaped out of her skull, and her heart out of her chest.

"Holy shi-!" she yelped, slapping a hand over her chest in panic before glaring at her father, who was sitting irritably in a lounge chair on the other side of her overly large room, his legs crossed and his fingers tapping impatiently on the arm rest. "Good God, dad, really?!" she practically screeched, eyes widened in disbelief, "Waiting in my room in the dark like some kind of creep! Are we really doing that now?"

Her father remained silent for a few moments, simply glowering at her with those deep grey eyes, no doubt observing her ridiculous dirt and paint stained attire. Small beads of sweat began to appear on Rikku's forehead, and she wasn't quite sure if it was from nervousness or her rather vigorous running spree. She really needed to exercise more…

"What, exactly," he began, breaking the silence, "Were you doing out tonight Rikku?" his voice was frighteningly stoic.

Rikku let out a sigh of relief as her heart finally began to slow. "Oh, you know, " she began, shoving her hands in her pockets and giving a shrug as she tried to avoid her father's harsh gaze, "Nothing much, just thought I'd… get some fresh air, work on some art projects with friends…"

Her father gave a cynical laugh before standing and taking a few slow strides toward his daughter.

"Ah yes, your "art projects", hmm?" he sneered, earning a glare from the girl in front of him. "This wouldn't happen to include you and your little street hooligans running around tagging the homes of my workers, would it?" he then grabbed a paper from his back pocket, practically shoving it into the girl's hand.

Rikku raised an eyebrow as she stared down at the local newspaper, reading the large, bold letters at the top: "Daughter of millionaire developer Kaden Togoyashi, owner of Togo industries, is caught tagging local buildings." She bit the inside of her cheek as she eyed the picture below it, which was, without a doubt, her, in all her gritty, paint smeared glory. God, her hair was a mess…

"It may or may not..." She spoke sardonically.

Her father's -Kaden's- eyebrows furrowed, and a deep growl erupted from his throat. "Dammit Rikku! Do you have any idea what this kind of stuff can do to my career?" he yelled, snatching the paper away from her. The press has been up my ass all week about this!"

The teen rolled her eyes, cursing too low for anyone to hear. Her dad was a well-known architect and world class inventor, often seen by the public as a man who was going to change the world, but Rikku knew if people only dug deeper and saw past the flashing lights of the press,they would realize that things aren't always as they seem. A prime example of this was the demolishing of small businesses and whatnot to make way for Togo commercial buildings, which, in turn, left hundreds bankrupt and even homeless. She also happened to know that her father rarely did anything to help these people, merely paying them what he felt was necessary to keep their mouths shut (which was never very much).

Now, Rikku was fully aware that tagging and painting buildings didn't exactly do much, but if it could at least get a few people to turn against him, then it was worth it in the end. Besides, it wasn't harming anyone aside from her father, that is); if anything, she thought her work added some much needed flair to the rather tasteless town.

With a scowl on his face, Kaden shook out the paper and repositioned it so he could get a better look at the fine print. "How can we trust a man to run the most successful company in Newbai when he can't even control his own daughter?" Rikku could practically see her father's blood pressure rising by the second, and she took a quick stride back, questioning whether or not she should call a bomb squad…

"Listen, dad, I just-"

"No, you listen," he hissed, "I spend $25,000 a semester for your classes at one of the best technical schools in the nation, and this is what you do to repay me? Running around, adding this garbage to the streets?!"

Rikku grit her teeth, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Okay, first of all," she said bitterly, holding up a finger, "I didn't ask to be enrolled in some crappy, prissy, private science school. Matter of fact, on orientation day, you LITERALLY had to drag me to the car. If you'd care to remember, I wanted to go to an art school!"

Her father scrunched the bridge of his nose and let out an irritable sigh.

"Second of all," his daughter continued, holding up yet another finger, "It's not garbage, it's street art. And when done tastefully can add real beauty to the-"

"Ugh, enough already Rikku! When are you going to give up this pointless dream of becoming an artist! You are 16 years old now, you could be doing something amazing with your life, you could train to be a chemist, o-or... something! Anything that can contribute things to the world _that matter _instead of useless artwork!"

"Art CAN contribute something," she argued, "Paintings, sculptures, photographs, street art. They're all forms of art that are capable of changing the way people look at things! They can change a person's perspective on the world!"

Kaden turned his back to his daughter, apparently too enraged to even look at her. This just managed to fuel Rikku's own irritation.

"It's not like everyone can be some sort of science prodigy like the Hamada brothers were," she mumbled, not expecting to be heard. But as her father suddenly whirled around to face her, she instantly regretted her words.

The Hamada children were pretty much her only friends while growing up in her hometown of San Fran sokyo, her father knowing their parents for quite some time, and Rikku herself knowing them since she was four. She would often hang out with them during the days while her father was at work. Honestly, she didn't even understand why she felt the need to mention them at that moment, it had, after all, been a good five years or so since she's even talked to them (let alone seen the two), but she couldn't help but think they were the primary reason her father was so hard on her about this science nonsense.

When they were younger, it was quite clear that both the Hamada brothers-Hiro and Tadashi, as she remembered- were growing at an unusually fast academic level, the youngest already getting ready for middle school at age seven. And being the incredibly competitive person that he was, seeing the Hamada's success often drove her father to push her to do the same; sending her to advance tech schools in order to fill her brain with as much knowledge as possible so she could be prepared for the family business in the future. This, however, didn't seem to please Rikku in the slightest; even in her youth, she already knew that the whole 'science and tech' thing was not was she wanted to do with her life. So, bored out of her mind, she would often skip classes to go visit Hiro at his school, or just goof off at the mall. By the time she was eleven, her father was fed up with her shenanigans and forced her to say goodbye to her only friends. They moved to Newbai, which he hoped would provide a better learning experience as well as bigger opportunities for his company... Primarily the second reason, though.

"I try, Rikku," her father said suddenly, his voice low and dark as he faces his daughter directly," I try to be patient, try to see if you will take the initiative yourself, but if you're not going to take your future seriously on your own, I'm afraid I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands."

Rikku's eyes furrowed with confusion and concern as the man before her stalked toward the fireplace that was catty corner of the wall and switched on the gas burner, its flames engulfing the makeshift wooden logs.

"Dad, what are you-" she started, but her unfinished question was surely answered as Kaden suddenly began tearing about the many paintings, sculptures and projects she's been spending months on and tossing them into the fire.

"DAD!" she bellowed, fury washing over her as she watched her belongings slowly crumble into ashes. "Stop, what the hell are you doing?!"

He didn't say a word, didn't look at up, and didn't even flinch as his daughter futilely clawed and punched into his back in an attempt to stop him, but merely continued to destroy all the things she held dear.

Rikku fell back with an 'umph' as her father unconsciously threw her off him, and continued to watch helplessly as he snatched her beloved paints, books, and art brushes off her dresser and into the fire, the flames crackling with an eternal hunger that begged be satisfied. Each item he threw was like a piece of her, and her heart wrenched with a mixture of anger and sadness she hadn't felt for a long time. But it wasn't until she saw him grab a nearby photograph, the only real keepsake she had of her friends back home, that all that anger was replaced with pure fear and regret.

"W-wait, dad, please! Come one! That's the only thing I have left of them!" she yelled, frustrated tears threatening to fall down her paint stained cheeks. It was a simple photo, but the only one she had left of her beloved friends.

Her father paused for a moment, breathing heavily as he took a long look at the frame in his hand. He was quiet for a while, and Rikku had hoped he came over his anger enough to reconsider the situation, but as he took a moment to glare up at her, the look in his eyes made it clear. "You've had your chances," he said bitterly, "consider this your final warning."

And with that, he tossed the photo into the inferno, watching stoically as the glass frame shattered and the fragile paper slowly burned, crackling relentlessly until it was nothing but a pile of lightly glowing embers.

Rikku slumped on to the carpet floor, her breath shallow and her mind whirling with a mixture of anger and disbelief. It was dead silent after that, the only noise coming from the crackle of flames and impatient honks from cars outside.

"I'm…I'm sorry Rikku," her father said through short breaths, no true remorse in his words. "But I don't know any other way to get through to you. It's time for you to give up this pointless hobby and focus on a real career."

There was another long silence, and the man huffed noisily before finally taking his leave, shutting the large wooden doors roughly behind him, causing the walls to rattle softly.

Rikku sat there, eyes fixated on the ground, and emotions through the roof. She sniffled, and wiped the tears forming in her eyes before they could fall. She refused to waste any tears on that man. She had hit the limit.

She was done.

Fueled by anger, Rikku shredded her clothes, cleaned herself up and grabbed the small trash can that rested by her dresser. She grabbed the waste bag and dumped it's contents on the floor before shoving as many essentials belongings as she could in their place. Heaving a sigh, she took one last look at her now trashed bedroom and locked her door from the inside before crawling out her window and into the night, toward the only place in the world she truly considered home, and to the only people she truly thought of as family.

"Well, Sanfransokyo," she thought inwardly, the wind rushing through her hair as she ran down the still busy streets. "Hope you're ready for me. Because here I come."

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><p><strong><em>so I know this chapter is kind of OC central, but i swearz chapter 2 will be pretty much all about Hiro<em>**

**_Also to answer any questions you might have, "Newbai" is merely a mash up city of New York city and Dubai india. I haven't seen that one floating around any other stories so i thought id claim it for myself._**

**_lastly, i know Rikku's father seems like an asshole (which he is) but id like to point out that he is NOT in any way physically,sexually, or any other kind of abusive(so u can knock many points of my mary-sue meter thank u very much!)... he's merely an old school man with high expectations on education,a rather harsh ways of discipline, and a love for all things that involve money. So if someone or somethings ends up getting in the way to make that money, whether it be for the present or future, he takes it rather personal..._**

**_Savvy? ;)_**

**_lol okay Pretty please be sure to leave a review! tell me what you like, what you hate, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! :) oh, and to give you a little push..._**

**_"Oh Baymax! mind coming here for a second?"_**

**_Baymax: yes, how many i be of service?_**

**_Me: "would you be so kind as to help get me some reviews?"_**

**_Baymax: *tilts head to the side* would getting these 'reviews' help your emotional state?_**

**_Me: yes, indeed they would._**

**_Baymax: *looks into screen and waves* hello people of the world. please leave a review below, for this author is quite desperate and apparently need praise from others to feed her ego due to low confidence as a writer._**

**_Me: *cough* *cough*...well...i wouldn't exactly put it THAT way...but ah, thanks baymax ...*sighs and goes to sulk in corner*_**

**_Baymax: Are u satisfied with your care?_**

**_Me:..._**


	2. Sleepless In San Fransokyo

**_hey guys! thanks sooo much for all the positive feedback on my first chapter! it means so much you don't even know! ^^_**

**i really hope you enjoy chapter 2 as well^^**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Two:<strong>_

Hiro took a deep breath as he held his hand steadily on the doorknob of his aunt's café, praying that his earlier attempt at disarming the security system actually worked this time. "Okay, Baymax," he whispered to the big marshmallow of a robot behind him, "We have to be real quiet, alright? Absolutely _no_ noise."

The robot tilted his head, but nodded in agreement as he put his finger to his mouth and let out a low 'Shhh'.

Hiro smiled, exhaled, and then carefully opened the door before tiptoeing inside.

Normally, Hiro Hamada would never worry this much about entering his own home, but in these circumstances, he was horribly past curfew, and if his aunt caught him sneaking in yet _again_, he would be in serious trouble.

The first time was a simple mistake, walking through the front door and having the security alarm which was _supposed_ to be disabled end up blaring and beeping twice as loud as it normally would. God, his aunt's face when she came running downstairs… hair a mess and armed with a baseball bat. If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead in an instant. Thank God Baymax was there, just in case he needed to be revived.

The second time was rather embarrassing on his part. He had successfully scaled the roof and easily slipped into his bedroom without a sound, but had horribly miscalculated Baymax's size, causing the poor health care companion to get stuck in the window frame. Add the loud crashing of books and knick-knacks hitting the floor as he accidentally slammed into the wall (after a vain attempt to pull Baymax through), and the utterly awkward noise of said robot deflating himself to become smaller, Hiro didn't stand a chance.

"Huh… no repulsively loud alarms… no flashing lights… so far so good, huh, buddy?" he said with a cocky grin, continuing to slowly creep though the room as his robotic friend waddled slowly but surely behind him.

Then, just as he thought he was home free, everything exploded at once. Couldn't just one of his attempts at sneaking in be _easy_?

Hiro's eyes widened as his phone suddenly started blaring in his pocket, its horribly obnoxious ringtone echoing throughout the room. "Crap, Crap, Crap, Crap!"

"Shhhh, we must be very quiet. No. noise." Baymax repeated in a hushed like voice, placing his finger to his mouth once more.

Hiro shot him a glare and desperately fumbled around with the continuously ringing device. Finally, he managed to find the 'end' key, and successfully silenced the noise. He sighed and mentally vowed to spell doom for whoever it was that broke his cover. That is, until he saw who it was. Looking down at the tiny glowing screen, Hiro couldn't help but flash a smile as he clicked the icon that read '_new text message__**'. **_"Hey Hiro." It read, _"We kicked some serious butt tonight, Make sure you get some rest, nerd. I'll see you in class tomorrow -GoGo"_

Hiro chuckled to himself, all previous frustrations forgotten. He was just about to send a reply, temporarily forgetting his current situation, but as the café lights suddenly flickered to life and an "Oh, no" was heard from Baymax, he quickly returned to reality.

"Hiro?!" his Aunt Cass' voice bellowed as she practically jumped down the stairs. "Hiro Hamada!"

"Heyyyy, Aunt Cass," he said quickly, giving her a wave and a nervous smile. "I, uh, didn't think you'd be up…"

His aunt flashed him a look that was fierce enough to make inmates in a prison cower in fear. "What on earth, Hiro!? Do you have any idea what _time_ it is? You had me worried sick! Are you alright?!" Cass' face quickly turned from a look of rage into a look of fear and worry, making Hiro's stomach knot with regret. She ran towards him, engulfing him in a tight hug.

"I'm fine, Aunt Cass, I'm promise," he said, giving her a reassuring squeeze right back.

"Good." She said simply, releasing him from her hold and taking a step back, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so. "Because you are SO TOTALLY, COMPLETELY, AND UTTERLY GROUNDED!"

Hiro flinched as he bit down on his lip. "But Aunt Cass, I was just-"

"Nope! No 'buts', Mister Hamada! I mean, what were you even doing out this late- And is… is that blood on your face?!"

Hiro's eyes widened a fraction, and he moved his hand to his cheek, feeling along a small gash. Sure enough, when he pulled his hand away to inspect it, a brilliant red substance coated his fingers.

Aunt Cass covered her mouth with the palms of her hands, tears misting over her big brown eyes.

"I promise it's not as bad as it seems!" he reassured her, "I was just doing some Hero stuff with the gang and some debris must have nicked me, it's no big deal."

"Hiro," she sighed, "you know that nobody is more proud of you than I am about how you and your friends stopped that yokai, but I've told you time and time again, that this whole super hero thing has to stop! You could get seriously hurt!"

Cass Hamada had a right to worry about her nephew; after all, it had only been two years since she lost her oldest -Tadashi- to that horrible fire. And though she knew that he wasn't alone and was helping others in need, she would be damned if she lost Hiro, as well.

Hiro shook his head and walked to grab a bottle of water from the mini fridge that was behind the front counter. "It's not like I can just quit," the boy argued, taking a quick swig of his beverage, its coolness feeling like magic to his dry throat. "Besides, I have Baymax! And trust me, nothing bad is going to happen to me with him around."

Baymax, who stood quietly in the background, gave a small nod. "Yes. Hiro is my patient and friend. I will always be there to insure that he is in full health."

"See?"

Aunt Cass sighed once more, hands planted on her hips. "But… but what if someone catches you when Baymax isn't around, huh? Or if someone managed to find out what your true identity was! They could find your school! Or find out where we live!" a sudden gasp escaped her, and she ran across the cafe to close all the blinds, peeking through the small gaps and eyeing the streets for any suspicious characters.

Her nephew chuckled, though it was immediately silenced once her gaze returned to him. "Hiro, I'm serious!"

"You trust me, don't you, Aunt Cass?" Hiro asked, taking her hand gently into his own; his enormous brown eyes shining brightly up at her. God, she hated when he did that.

There was a moment of silence, and his aunt narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Yes…." She said finally, though her hesitation said otherwise.

"Well, then, you have to believe me when I say I have it under control. Baymax was made to help change the world," Hiro's face suddenly fell as memories of his brother came flooding into his mind. _I'm not giving up on you buddy, _he would say._ You're going to change the world for the better. I know it. _The teen shook his head, pushing the thoughts of Tadashi to the back of his mind like he normally did, and proceeding to focus on the distraught woman in front of him. "And that's… that's what I'm going to do. You can't ask me to stop doing this, Aunt Cass... Please."

Cass looked down at her nephew sadly, though she couldn't help the glimmer of pride that she felt as well.

She was silent for a while, a mixture of thoughts and emotions going through her head. It wasn't until she let her infamous 'fine, you win' sigh, that Hiro let a smile cross his lips.

"Oh, alright…" she drawled, removing her hand from the boy's, "I know I can't stop you… but please, just be careful! And no more missing curfew! Your shift as superhero Hamada ends at 11:30 got it?"

"Yes, Aunt Cass," he said with a grin.

"I'm serious, young man. If I catch you late one more time, you'll be in deep shi…shi-"

"Shit, Aunt Cass?"

Cass narrowed her eyes at her nephew, pointing her index finger in his face. "I do NOT like that language, but that's exactly what you'll be in! Now… now you just go to your room!"

Hiro smirked, giving her a small nod before quickly taking his leave up to the attic. "I love you, Aunt Cass." He said sweetly as he ran up the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too." she replied dryly as she waved him away, before taking a rather large bite out of a jelly donut that was left on a nearby table.

"You know, Miss Hamada, stress eating can often lead to obesity and other deadly eating disorders."

"Hiro! Your talking marshmallow is grounded along with you!"

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><p>Hiro wasted no time stripping out of his clothes, into his underwear and climbing into his overly soft bed, the material calling him to sleep. He let out a soft, tired yawn as he placed his head on the cool silk pillow and wrapped himself up in the covers. It had been a very long day, what with stopping a robbery in progress, and then helping to end a police chase and what not. And the young hero was definitely ready for some sleep. But just as he felt himself slipping away into sleep, he heard Baymax's soft voice sound by his charging station.<p>

"Hiro?" he asked, eyes fixated on the desk that was in front of him.

"Hmm?" Hiro asked tiredly, eyes still halfway closed, "Whazzit, buddy?"

"Who is the person in this photograph? The one with you and Tadashi?"

Hiro's eyes popped open at the sudden question, and he quickly shot into a sitting position. "What are you talking about, bud?"

Baymax pointed to the small glass frame that was located on his computer desk. It was him, Tadashi and an old friend, immersed in a giant group hug. Hiro smiled sadly as he walked over and held the photo in his hands. Tadashi, as usual, didn't seem too amused in the picture, while Hiro and the other child smiled madly while they made funny faces into the camera.

He had found the picture while cleaning out some of Aunt Cass' old things a few weeks back; and upon catching him staring at it for quite a while, she decided to let him keep it as his own.

Hiro put the photo down, yawning and stretching his arms out until loud cracks were heard. "It's no one, buddy, just an old friend..."

Baymax tilted his head, "A friend?" he questioned. "I do not recognize her as someone in my database, would you like me to add to your contacts?"

"What? No, no, Baymax that's okay. I don't even know where she lives anymore…" Hiro staired at the ground for a moment, small memories of his childhood coming back to him. He always wished he would have tried harder to keep in contact with her. She had been, after all, his only friend back then. But as the weeks turned into months, and the months into years, he found it harder and harder to reach her. He had school and after school came academic classes, and not to mention tons of studying and work to do. Hiro sighed as regret fluttered around his gut, there was _always_ time to spare for friends, and he hated that he didn't try harder.

"You miss her?" Baymax asked, snapping Hiro out of his sullen thoughts.

"Yeah, but it doesn't really matter, buddy, it's been a long time… I honestly doubt she even remembers me." Baymax blinked, but didn't ask any more questions, instead he just deactivated into his charging dock.

Hiro flopped down and made himself comfortable in bed once more, his arms and legs spread out on the mattress as he stared blankly at the ceiling. So far, he'd managed to do a really good job pushing all the negative thoughts he had to the back of his mind. But this… this just seemed to sit front and center, not willing to go anywhere.

The teen's eyes wandered to the clock on his wall, suddenly unable to sleep. It read 1:45. He still had four hours to go before he needed to wake up again. Hiro sighed in frustration as he covered his face with his pillow.

Nerd School was going to suck tomorrow.

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><p><strong>Review? =) id love to hear your feedback ^^<strong>


	3. Head In The Air And Feet on The Ground

**_guys._**

**_...this chapter...this chapter was a lot of freaking work. i had to re-write like 3 time until i got something i was happy with -_-"_**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

_Right. You really didn't think this through, did ya, champ?"_ Rikku scolded herself as she stood outside the San Fransokyo train station, a trash bag full of clothes draped over her shoulder and absolutely _no_ idea where she was going or what she was doing.

At first, because the adrenaline was still heavy in her blood as she took that first step out of the train, she couldn't help the elated beating of her heart or the smile that crept over her lips. The station stood right next to the Pier, and as the familiar salty air filled her lungs and the distant smell of fresh fish and produce hit her nose, she couldn't help but feel she was exactly where she belonged.

However, as the midafternoon sun beat down on her and she examined the overly large, complex city map that ran along the wall outside the station, she started to wish she had thought of a more thorough plan.

Originally, as she sat in her booth of the train watching the images fly by with incredible speed outside her window, a lot of different scenarios played around in her head. Of course, she wanted to see her childhood pals, have a joyful reunion, and hopefully reconnect so they could start where they had left off. but for some reason or another, her mind hadn't processed some of the less fortunate outcomes of the situation until now.

What if Hiro and Tadashi didn't even remember her? Or even moved themselves? It had been nearly six years after all. Not to mention the fact that when she had left, Hiro was obviously starting on a path to really good things, even if he did remember her, he probably had more important stuff to worry about her than some girl he hasn't talked to in forever.

Pushing the negative thoughts to the back her mind, Rikku sighed, grabbing a seat on a nearby bench and quickly rummaged through her 'luggage' for her pocketbook. In hindsight, she probably could have taken the time to pack her stuff in a proper backpack or suitcase to avoid looking like a homeless freeloader, but hey, when your father burns everything important to you and you take to the streets in a hopeless mess of anger and frustration, sometimes your brain tends to forget the basics.

Once she found what she was looking for, the runaway quickly scanned the unbelievably minuscule contents. Combined with the money she had saved over time, and the limited cash the bank allowed her to take from the family funds, she had about $500 to her name. Rikku stuffed the weathered looking case in the back pocket of her jeans as she let the air out of her cheeks and rested the back of her head against the wall, wincing a bit as she hit the exposed head of a nail.

If she wanted to survive here for more than a few weeks, she was definitely going to have to ration out her funds. Hotels weren't cheap! And she didn't exactly have any other ways of accessing money once it ran out.

Being the impeccably street smart person that she was, Rikku knew it wasn't an option to bring any kind of traceable items with her; phones, computers, iPod, and ESPECIALLY not credit or debit cards. If she did, there was no doubt her dad would be there to drag her ass back to Newbai within a day's time.

The girl pursed her lips and let out a low, tired groan as she massaged her temples with her fingers. She was exhausted, hungry, and, quite frankly, could use a shower that didn't consist of hand soap and borrowed baby wipes. Just then, the sudden sound of the station clock rang in her ears. She eyed the wonderfully sculptured piece that was located just above the ticket station. It was four o'clock, and the sun was going to be setting in a few hours. _Well, you're not getting anywhere by just sitting around. _She told herself._ Time to move. _Rikku reluctantly listened to her mind and hoisted her belongings back over her shoulder, making her way to who knows where.

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><p>The streets were busy, and the wet, oily residue that glistened on the pavement indicated it just finished raining not too long ago. The teen grinned, unable to contain the smiles that kept creeping their way onto her features as she hiked along the steep sidewalks of the downtown area. The sights, the sounds, even the smells, they all seemed to add a level of surrealness. So much of herself was in this city, whether it be the culture or the liveliness of the people, and now that she was back, she finally felt closer to filling that small hole in her heart that was made when she had left- or was taken away rather.<p>

As she continued walking, a foreign happiness radiating within her being, she realized that not much had changed over the years. There were some new business up, as well as what seemed to be a few extra ramen noodle joints that she hadn't really noticed before (which she was more than happy to test out), but other than that, San Fransokyo seemed to be the same beautifully cultured city that she remembered.

After a few miles of aimless sightseeing, Rikku was so immersed in the idea of being back in her beloved city that she hadn't realized the turn she took led her down a rather sketchy looking alleyway. It wasn't until she heard a faint sound of angry dogs barking and the distant ring of police sirens that she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Whoa…" she mouthed in awe, gripping her trash bag full of crap a bit tighter. This was definitely a part of the city she hadn't seen before. Just moments ago she was in the nice, attractive looking town that she knew, and now it appeared as though she was in a whole different world entirely. It was completely barren, save for the trash and old beer cans that littered the streets. Rather rabid looking animals were running around aimlessly, and what looked to be apartments seemed like they would topple over at the slightest touch. Of course, she had seen some run down neighborhoods back in Newbai; most of her tagging buddies happened to live in them, after all, and most of the time Rikku never gave it a second thought. But this… well, this was pretty rough, to say the least.

But, despite her instinct's warnings to turn back, she pressed forward, seeing as it lead to what looked to be a busy intersection. She held her belongings close and kept an even closer eye on her surroundings; the large buildings stood tall, stretching into the sky and slightly blocking the sun. It pitched a shadow over her, making the alley darker than necessary. As she continued walking, slightly picking up the pace with every second, Rikku found herself distracted by the sounds of squawking birds from above. Glancing up at the source of the disturbance, she failed to notice the man that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and right into her path. The girl let out an _'oomph_' as she hit the ground, and pushed her mess of hair out of her face to glare at the man in her way.

"Hey, what's the rush, sweetheart? Why don't you watch where you're going next time." he questioned in a rusty, masculine voice. Rikku was surprised to see him extend a hand to her.

The girl let out a huff as the man pulled her up, quickly stepping back to brush the grit off her clothes. A slight scowl now presented itself on her face as she sized up the man before her. She took a deep breath, and although every fiber of her being wanted to yell at him to watch where _he_ was going, she knew it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do in her situation.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." she apologized dryly as she cataloged his appearance; he was tall, and tanned, with a mess of short unkempt black hair to match his dirty five o'clock shadow.

The man shrugged it off, but continued to stand there, and every time the girl attempted to move, he would block her way. Rikku bit the inside of her cheek in irritation, though still tried to remain calm. "Excuse me sir, but I really need to be going-"

"I would love to let you through, Hun," he interrupted in that sly voice of his. Rikku noticed that he kept creeping closer and closer toward her, and it wasn't long before she found herself against a wall. "But you don't look like you're from around here, and newbies have to pay a price to leave this part of town." The man let a devious grin part his dirty, cigarette burned lips, and held out his hand, obviously expecting some form of payment.

Rikku narrowed her eyes at the man, snorting in disbelief. Really? She was carrying a god damn trash bag, for crying out loud! Not exactly the kind of accessory you would have to worry about someone trying to mug from you.

But, not wanting trouble and silently thanking the lucky stars that she put her wallet in her back pocket, Rikku slowly put her bag down, opening it to for him see. "Look, I don't exactly have anything of value," she explained as calmly as she could, "I mean there's nothing in there but clothes… most of which I'm sure aren't really your style…"

The ass hat remained silent, and after he rudely rummaged through her belongings, he let out a disapproved snort and stood back up, crossing his arms over his chest.

"See? Nothing of value... now, please, if you don't mind, I'd really like to be on my way…"

The man lets another grin part his lips, and he scratched his chin as if in thought. "I wouldn't say you have NOTHING of value," he argued, his tone quickly turning more coquettish than threatening, "I've never been much of a material man anyways..."

Rikku raised an eyebrow, though the confusion was soon made clear as the man placed a cold, grimy hand on her shoulder, gently lifting the spaghetti strap material of her tank top. The teen swallowed tightly, and every part of her mind was yelling at her to keep calm, to apologize, say she didn't mean any trouble and beg for him to let her go. It really was a shame her mouth had a horrible reputation of never listening to what her brain told it to do…

"You, have a grand total of three seconds to get the fuck away from me before I rip that hand off and shove it down your throat." The girl hissed, causing her attacker to chuckle darkly. Every word was just feeding his fire. _This is _not_ happening right now_, she thought angrily. She wasn't going to go out like this; be killed or worse by some heinous, greasy piece of shit mere yards away from where the rest of the world was.

The man continued to press closer to the unarmed teenager, slowly raking his fingers against her delicate jaw line, his warm breath gently tickling her skin. Rikku cringed, and within a single heartbeat, she had lost it. Without hesitation, she quickly bit onto one of the man's thick, disgusting fingers with as much force as possible, not stopping until she heard the faint crunch of bone and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. A pain filled shriek filled the air, and Rikku spit the disgusting substance in her mouth onto the ground before she let a satisfied smile part her lips, the pressure against her body loosening.

This was her chance.

She shoved violently past the man, and hastily tried to make a run for it. However, the man was quick, and managed to snag her by the wrist, letting out a slur of curses as he did so. Everything was moving so fast, and Rikku let out a surprised shriek as he pushed her body onto the ground, head snapping back painfully against the concrete. She cringed, gritting her teeth pain as she felt warm liquid seep slowly down her neck.

"You know, I was really hoping you were going to make this easy…" The man sneered, pushing his forearm against her throat. Reluctantly, Rikku could feel tears forming in her eyes, threatening to fall and expose her weakness. She hated this feeling. So small, so insignificant. Like an ant about to be crushed by a boot. _Come on, fight back, you coward. Quit being so weak and fight back! Dig, bite, claw, punch, do whatever! Just fight! _She screamed to herself, wanting so desperately to get out his hold and bash his skull on the ground. Her father's words began to race through her mind; he'd always said that fear was for the weak. That you should never let your enemies see you sweat, if you did, then you'd lost the fight.

"Anything you wanna get off your chest before we get started, huh sweetheart?" he smirked, making the girl's blood boil even hotter.

Rikku narrowed her eyes, "Go fuck yourself!" She screeched, and the man's face twisted in anger. Rikku watched painfully as he pulled a rather large switchblade from his back pocket.

This couldn't be happening right now. It couldn't. This was all some horrid nightmare that she was going to wake up from at any moment. It was not supposed to work out like this.

She felt the blade slide along her cheek, pressing down just enough so that pain registered in her brain as the blood slid down her face. Her hands clenched into fists as she bit back a scream.

she couldn't believe her first day back in the city of San Fransokyo… was possibly going to be her last.

* * *

><p><strong><em>okay so<em>****_ don't hate me! *hides behind baymax* I know i left it at a weird point, but I thought I'd be a slight jerk and keep u in suspense..._**

**_Now, listen guys, if you wouldn't mind leaving your feedback down below id really appreciate it. as a witter i really want to get better, so anything from the good to the bad, the happy and sad is welcomed. just let me know what your thinking ^^_**

**_Thanks for reading! until next time!_**

**P.s: a little visual tid bit about Rikku until i get off my ass and make a proper character sheet. like many characters in BH6 she is a mix of culture. her dad is a clean cut Japanese-american man, and her mother was African-american and Japanese. =)**


	4. Not According To Plan

**Hey guys! okay let me start off by saying sorry for the late update. I'm pretty sure this chapter gave me grey hairs -_-"**

**Anyway just a couple of authors notes! i would like to give a big, and i mean BIG thank you to _Melanie-March_ & _Sora Matasuki_. They were kind enough to look over and fix this chapter as well as help revise my previous ones =D seriously, it would be filled with so many silly mistakes if it weren't for those awesome friends of mine. Much love to you guys!  
><strong>

**id also like to thank all who faved, followed and/or reviewed. your feedback really fuels my fire to write and it means so much to me :)**

**So with that, i hope you enjoy this chapter! it took...a LOT of work...**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter Four:<strong>

Everything felt distant.

It was if she wasn't even there, but merely watching everything from afar, too weak and powerless to do anything.

Rikku's breathing was short and shallow, and though the harsh sensation along her cheek where the knife had cut finally ceased, the pain was replaced with the desperate screams of her lungs as they called out for air. The man's forearm forcefully pressed against her throat, and beads of sweat dampened her forehead as she struggled to escape from his hold.

Her mind reeled as she stared at the man atop her. The anger and frustration of the situation had subsided, leaving behind a terrified and empty feeling in her gut.

"Y-you're not going to get away with this," She managed the spew out, trying her best to sound intimidating. However, her words came out as slurred coughs and hacks, making the threat far less effective. The dark eyes of her predator glowered at her, his teeth clenched and lips parted in a satisfied grin.

It made her want to vomit.

"Is that so, girly?" he replied darkly "Well, who's going to stop me? You?" he sneered, pressing harder against her.

She hated this feeling. The hopelessness that washed over her. She had always been a fighter, in more ways than one, and how utterly weak the situation was made her feel disgusted. So, in a pathetic, last ditch effort to seem threatening, she drew her tongue back and spat harshly in the man's face. She watched in satisfaction as the sticky substance ran down his eye and into the corner of his mouth.

The mans face crumbled into a furious scowl, and Rikku grunted in pain as she was suddenly lifted by the scruff of her shirt, then just as quickly rammed back into the ground, her head snapping against the concrete with a sickening _crack. _A feeling of lightheadedness fell upon the teen, and her eyes fluttered tiredly; everything suddenly feeling even more withdrawn than before. Groaning, she swallowed hard, desperately trying to hold back the bile that raised in her throat.

"You know, I was really hoping we could have a little fun," He sneered, his voice sounding like venom to her ears. "But you're ending up to be a lot more trouble than you're worth."

"I… I know what your definition of _fun was_," came her grimacing response, " I'd rather die!"

"That can be arranged." His dark eyes narrowed at her, and Rikku closed her eyes in preparation for the worst.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her shifted, and mere moments later, she felt the pressure against her release. Her body naturally gave in to a fit of coughs as the much needed air rushed into her lungs. Rikku slowly tried to push herself up, though the action was too fast for her body's liking and she slumped back to the ground.

She tried to open her eyes, though her vision was hazed, and the pain in her chest along with the throbbing of her head made it hard to focus on anything. The girl blinked slowly, but the cloudiness in her eyes refused to go away; all she could make out was a blurry figure of red and purple.

"Is there a problem, here?" she heard a voice question from her right. It was stern, and it sounded rather youthful.

_Is that supposed to be a real question? _She thought bitterly._ Of course, there's a problem here!_

"I… I… ugh" The teen attempted speech, though her mouth felt like all the moisture had been sucked out of it, and she was unable to form proper words. She groaned again, slamming her eyes shut once more as she rested a hand to her forehead.

"The hell?!" came the hateful sneer of her attacker, though Rikku could swear she heard a trace of fear in his tone. "This isn't any concern of yours, pal! Now why don't you mind your own business and keep moving!"

"Or," she heard the boy start, sounding a bit too cocky for her liking, "We could take the girl, and send your perverted ass to prison where you belong."

The man growled in fury, and Rikku's eyes flew open, her heart stopping mid-beat as she heard the familiar click of a gun being loaded. "BAYMAX, GRAB HER!" was all she heard after, and before she could move, there was a flash of purple and red that engulfed her in what felt like metal hands. There was no time to resist, no time to argue, and with the words "thrusters on" the girl was suddenly being propelled into the sky. With a high pitched scream she didn't even know her body was capable of making, Rikku found herself screwing her eyes shut for the umpteenth time and grabbing desperately at whatever the hell was keeping her from falling to her death.

"Hey, are you alright?!" The voice called, practically screaming against the wind.

"NOT REALLY!" She called back frantically. She was in the air. THE AIR. Carried by who what to who knows where. She was most certainly not alright!

"My scanners indicate that the subject is experiencing dangerously low blood pressure, and rapid heart rate."

Rikku's ears twitched. That definitely was not the sound of the voice she had heard just moments ago. The voice from earlier was that of a guy, a human guy to be exact. This one sounded... well…. mechanical. Reluctantly, she dared to ease her eyes open ever so slightly, though they went wide as her gaze met with the black optics of a giant… metal… man?

"Oh… my…." Rikku's breath caught in her throat, and her heart banged against her chest as trying if trying to escape. She let out a pathetic, startled scream (borderline whimper) and before she knew it, she was engrossed in a world of black. The startled words of "Oh, crap…" ringing in her ears as she drifted off into darkness.

* * *

><p>"It appears as though she has fainted."<p>

"Oh really Baymax? Gee, thanks for that observation."

"You are quite welcome."

"I…. really need to work with you on your sarcasm, bud."

* * *

><p><em>Rikku Togoyashi was stuck somewhere in between a dream and a nightmare.<em>

_Her skin felt clammy and her breath was short._

_The area around her was dark, cold and void. She was unsure of her surroundings, but it felt like someone had blindfolded her and locked her in the freezer. She shuddered as the frigid air made contact with her skin, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself. "H-hello?" she called out, her breath forming a small cloud of fog. Rikku winced at the softness of her own voice. She was yelling, yet her voice wasn't carrying through; it felt like someone had turned her on mute. "HELLO?" she tried again, her throat now going hoarse. _

_It was then that a boy appeared in front of her. Young, no older than ten years of age. His skin was flushed, his cheeks were chubby, and upon his head was an all too familiar mop of unruly black hair._

"_H… Hiro?" Rikku couldn't help the small smile that crept on her face. Suddenly the world didn't seem so dark, and she found herself running toward the child in excitement. She had never been a very emotional or touchy feely kind of person, but with Hiro she couldn't help herself. She couldn't help the elated beating of her heart, or the ongoing grin that never seemed to go away. It was him. Her best friend. After all this time he was right there in front of her._

"_Hiro!" Being significantly shorter than herself, Rikku kneeled down to hug the boy, squeezing him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you," she smiled sadly against his head, her words almost coming out as whimpers. "I've missed you so much."_

_he didn't say anything, and Rikku stopped, pulling away slightly as she felt the boy stiffened against her touch. "Hiro what's wrong?" she asked, concern in her voice. But her concern quickly turned into regret as her hazel eyes were met with distraught brown ones. He was crying, angry tears streaming down his cheeks. _

"_You're a liar!" He sneered, eyes narrowing. Rikku felt her heart stop. Three words. Three simple words, yet they sent her world crashing down. Suddenly she felt frigid water on her skin, and next thing she knew it was raining. She looked around wildly, her surroundings all of a sudden becoming familiar. She was outside, in the yard of a small duplex…_

_Rikku blinked the shock out of her eyes, trying to focus on the boy in front of her. "H-Hiro, why would you say that?"_

"_It's true!" he yelled, his voice cracking. "We were friends. You said so! You promised we would always be there for each other and that you would never leave. You lied!"_

_The teen swallowed the large lump in her throat. "Hiro it wasn't my fault." She pleaded, tears threaten to stain her own cheeks. "I...i didn't want to leave, but my dad-"_

"_RIKKU!"_

_Rikku jolted, and her eyes widened as she whirled her head to face the bellowing voice from behind her. _

_Speak of the devil, and he shall appear._

_The teen couldn't help the narrowing of her eyes or the tightening of her jaw as looked at the man, none other than her father. _

_His face hardened as usual, and his features were cold. "It is time to leave. Grab your things and let's go." He spoke in that same contradicting tone that he always used, causing Rikku's blood to boil._

_She hated it. He was always right there, ready to pull her away from something important._

"_See? You're doing it again." The small voice pulled her back to the important matter at hand. Young Hiro's shoulders were slumped. His face was no longer sad or angry, but merely defeated. _

_She let him down._

"_Hiro please I…I promise I won't leave again…I didn't mean to-"_

"_RIKKU!" came the hateful sneer of her father once more. "I said, lets go. Now."_

"_No!" Rikku stood, her fists balled in rage. "I'm not leaving! I'm not going to let you do this to me again!"_

_Her father's eyebrows furrowed darkly, and a cynical laugh escaped his throat, immediately sending shivers down her spine. "I don't believe I was asking you." He sneered, his lips parted in a dark smirk._

_Kaden rose his hand in the air, and Rikku let out a pained shriek as black substance wrapped around her appendages. They dug tightly into her skin, and the harder she struggled, the harder they tightened their hold. The teen's eyes widened in a state of fury and panic as she realized what her father was doing._

_He was commanding them. He was commanding her. She was nothing more than what she always had been: his puppet. Rikku found herself being pulled to her knees, and she winced as her flesh made contact with the ground._

"_Bye Rikku." Came the sad, soft voice of the raven haired child in front of her. Hiro waved, and a Rikku found herself slowly being engulfed in darkness one more. "No! Wait Hiro! Hiro!" She called, but once again it was if her screams were put on mute. She had made another promise, and once again, she had broken it._

_She was a failure of a friend in more way than one._

"_Hiro!"_

* * *

><p>The blank space around her slowly faded into white, and the white soon turned into meshed blurs of colors and shapes.<p>

Rikku groaned. Her mind felt like it was floating in the cosmos, and it wasn't until close, but muffled sounds of voices filled her ears that she was brought back to earth. She blinked slowly, a soft whine escaping her throat as the glare of the setting sun hit her eyes.

…_.Hiro… _was all she could whisp out, her voice raspy and barely audible.

The sound of shuffling feet was heard, and it wasn't long before a voice made itself known.

"She appears to be awaking. Are you alright? On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

Rikku wrinkled her nose in distaste at the horrible question, and her eyes fluttered, desperately trying to get the last of the cloudiness out of them. "A freaking billion," she answered bitterly. Once her vision came into proper focus, she was able to make out the face in front of her. The same robotic, way too close for comfort face that sent her into hyperventilation in the first place.

"GAHH!" The injured teen let out a startled scream, her face crinkling into a look of fear. She quickly sat in a sitting position, kicking with the heels of her feet in a pitiful effort to scurry away_. A big mistake. Really big mistake_. Rikku felt like she had been hit by a semi-truck, and all the sudden movement sent pain rocketing throughout her entire body. Blood rushed to her head, causing excruciating throbs, and the 'ba-dump' of her heartbeat thumping against her eardrums didn't help.

"Who are you?! Where am I?! What-uhg my head!" he questions were rushed and erratic, hardly understandable even to herself. She pressed her hand against her skull tightly, as if trying to keep her brain from oozing out of it.

"Whoa, whoa take it easy! We're not going to hurt you!" suddenly, a boy appeared in front of her, and two hands were gently placed on her shoulders. "We're not the bad guys okay?

"Just breathe…" he motioned his hand slowly, up and down, in demonstration.

Rikku looked at him frantically. The boy was armored, and you could barely see his dark brown eyes through the metal helmet he was wearing, though that seemed to be all she needed. There was something familiar about them, something warm and comforting that seemed to calm the girl down; and soon she felt her heart rate ease, and her breathing slowed to a normal pace.

"Better?" he asked, his lips parting into a smile and revealing a small gap between his teeth. Coming out of her stupor, Rikku stiffened slightly and she felt her jaw clench. There was only one human being on the face of the earth she knew with a smile like that…

However, realizing how ridiculous the idea sounded, she quickly shook the thought out of her head. _Come on you idiot that dream is just psyching you out. Just because he has a gap in his teeth doesn't mean it's him. There's no way…The Hiro you remembered was a scrawny little child with ears too big for his head. This guy…there's…there's just no way._

Rikku nodded hurriedly in response to his question before pushing his hands off her and inching away. He looked a bit taken aback at first, but otherwise didn't say anything. Taking a moment, Rikku tilted her head as she took better hold of her surroundings. She was outside, the setting sun casting a colorful shadow of oranges and pinks. Judging by the high view of San Fransokyo Bridge and the hum nearby air conditioning unites, she figured she was on the terrace of some kind of building.

Her mind reeled, wondering how the hell she got there when sudden remembrance of what happened earlier came back to her. There was the asshole alley guy…then she was on the ground…then in the air…then there was nothing and now she was here. On a roof.

Great. Just fan-freaking-tastic.

"Who…who the hell are you?" she questioned, a sudden anger flaring within her. This entire day sucked, and all she wanted to do get away from all the craziness and find a decent place to sleep. Was that too much to ask? Apparently so because she went from the hands of a pedophile psychopath to a kid playing dress up with a freaky robot. A better scenario yes, but weird nonetheless.

The boy almost seemed shocked by her question, like she should automatically know who he is. "Um...Big Hero Six? You know…Heroes of San Fransokyo?"

Rikku scoffed, never hearing of those people in her entire life. "Heroes huh?" she mused, an questioning eyebrow raised. "Any reason you're called big hero _six_ when there's only two of you?"

The guy cleared his throat, "um, well, there's more of us. But me and Baymax here were just doing a perimeter check. Don't need to attract too much attention ya know?"

Rikku hummed, looking over at the robot-Baymax apparently- who blinked slowly at her, his head tilted as if silently examining the teen. She would admit the thing was…cool, but the way it was looking at her was really creeping her out.

"Gotta say, I've never been in the presence of a real deal superhero before," Rikku pondered, her shield coming down in the slightest. she figured If these guys were wanting to hurt her, they probably would have done so already. "It's pretty cool but, damn this city has gotten weird…"

The boy chuckled lightly, a smile on his features. "I take it stuff like this doesn't happen where you're from?"

"Hardly." She scoffed. "So whats your name anyway?"

"I just told you Big Hero Six, remember?"

Rikku rolled her eyes at his obliviousness. "I meant your _real_ name genius. You know the one they put on your birth certificate?"

"Oh," the boy blushed slightly, and rubbed the back of his neck where the armor left exposed. "I, uh, can't really tell you that. It's kind of a secret identity thing."

"I suppose that's fair enough," she shrugged.

Rikku grunted as she tried stagger to her feet, her legs locking together weakly. She managed to get up just enough the lean herself against a nearest wall. Concern flashed in the boy's brown eyes, and he took a step forward, aiming to help the girl.

"Hey maybe you should-"

"I'm fine." Rikku interrupted harshly, holding a hand up to stop him from coming closer. Although her words rang false, and next thing she knew found herself slumping back the ground, her back against the wall. The boy's eyes widened a fraction, and he quickly turned to the big armored robot.

"Baymax, scan her for further injuries." The boy ordered, and moments later, said android waddled its way toward the girl.

"Wait, what?" Rikku raised an eyebrow, and stiffened slightly as it got closer, "no, no, no! i'm fine, Just get that thing away from-"

"Scanning complete."

"Really?" She shot a glare over at the robots commander, causing him to shift uncomfortably.

"it's okay!" He reassured once more. "Baymax here is a healthcare companion. He's only trying to help."

"You seem to have suffered a mild concussion." The mechanical voice mused. "I highly suggest little movement and activity. My scanners also show that you have abrasions along your forearms and scalp, as well as slight swelling in the face. I would recommend the medical attention from a local hospital that I cannot currently provide."

Rikku was impressed, but her moment of amazement was short lived as the word hospital hit her hears.

"What? No! I'm fine, seriously, NO hospitals!" Rikku slowly staggered to her feet once more, (this time more successfully) and dusted the soot of her now slightly ripped clothes.

The boy looked at her with concerned eyes, "But-"

"NO. HOSPITALS." she warned, pointing a finger at him. She couldn't risk going to the hospital. She was a minor, and no doubt would need some sort of ID and contact information for her legal guardian. Of course that meant her dad. And if they contacted him…

There was a silence between the two, and Rikku felt a pinged of regret for her rather snappy attitude, She should be thanking this guy, not scolding him for trying to help.

"Listen," she started, softening her voice to the best of her capabilities, "Thanks…a lot for what you did, but honestly I'm fine and I don't need any hospitals. I'll just take my stuff and be on my-"

Her jaw dropped as the sudden realization that she didn't grab her belongings dawned on her, and she began to look frantically around for her things. Crap. Crap. CRAP!

"Oh, um, are you looking for this?" the boy shared a smile, and reached behind his robot companion for the bag filled with the only things she owned.

Rikku sighed a breath of relief, "Thank you, you're a life saver in more ways than one."

"It's no problem. Its, uh, kind of what we do." He shared a rather cocky grin, causing her to smirk.

"Well look I don't exactly have much, but-" Rikku reached in her back pocket in search for her wallet, remembering that she had put it there instead in her bag. Although cold sweat formed on her forehead as she realized it wasn't there. "No…no, no, no ,no ,no!" she frantically began searching for the _only_ money she had on her. She checked her front pockets, her back, and hell even in her bra. This could not be happening right now!

"Hey it's no problem, you don't have to pay us."

"No it's not that! she yelled, eyes narrowing and blood pressure rising. Her reaction was enough to earn a gulp from the boy. "That wallet is basically my entire freaking life! I need that or else-AHG!"

In defeat and utter frustration, Rikku slumped onto her knees, burying her face in her hands before letting out a muffled groan. What was she thinking? This entire plan-if she could even call it that- was all a stupid mistake. Now she was stranded with no money to get another train ticket home, no way to contact anyone, and nowhere to stay for the night.

She was stray.

"She appears to be in distress." Stated Baymax. His obvious words caused another groan from the girl.

The shuffling of feet was heard, and it wasn't long before she felt the presence of someone next to her.

"Hey…don't worry it'll be okay." came the gentle voice of the armored boy.

She applauded him for being so nice despite her snappy attitude, but it annoyed her nonetheless. No. no it wasn't going to be okay.

The boy furrowed his brow, concern still swimming in in big brown eyes. "Is there somewhere we can take you? A friend's house maybe?"

"No." she said bitterly, taking her hands from her face. "There's only one guy I knew in this whole freaking city and I don't even know where he lives anymore."

Annoyingly enough, a small smile parted the boy's lips and he quickly pushed himself up before extending a helping hand to Rikku. "Give me his name."

"What? Why?" she questioned, taking his hand before he gently helped her up.

"Baymax is equipped with scanners. He can practically scan the whole city, I'm sure we can find him for you!" his enthusiasm was intense, but Rikku was much less than convinced.

"Listen, that's nice of you but I doubt-"

"Oh come on! It's worth a shot right?"

Rikku sighed, but accepted her defeat in the matter. "Its not going to work but…" she hesitated for a moment, before continuing. "its Hamada. Hiro Hamada actually." She turned just before she could notice the stiffened look of her armored savior, and rested her elbows on the edge of the terrace as she looked out into the city. "We grew up on the same block, I mean we were practically siblings." Rikku bit her lip in embarrassment. She wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to explain that last part, but it seemed like her mouth went on autopilot.

There was a silence after that. A dead silence that slightly concerned her the girl.

"Rik…Rikku?"

Her eyes widened in surprise at the sound of her name. and she quickly turned around to see the boy, helmet in hand, with familiar, horribly unkempt black hair upon his head.

No way. There was no way anything in her life worked out like this.

"Hiro…"

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><p><strong> Reviews tend to make me update faster...<strong>**just sayin...**


	5. Some Catching Up To Do

_**Yay first official chapter of the New Year =D hope you guys are having a great 2015 so far ^^**_

_**okay before we get started id like to give a big thanks to my friend and editor**_Melanie-March _**for taking the time to proof-read this for me. shes awesome so make sure to check out her page!**_

_**alright with out furthe r**__**adieu **_

_**ENJOY^^**_

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><p>Hiro felt anxious sweat dampen his brow, and his breath hitched in his throat as he took in the sight of the teen in front of him. Her back was turned, her gaze upon the city and not on his slightly panicked features. <em>She said my name. Said she grew up with me.<em> Hiro's mind reeled; there was only one other child on earth that he grew up with besides his brother…

The young superhero took off his helmet and raked his fingers through his slightly dampened hair. "R-Rikku?" he stammered, a million different emotions coursing through his mind, though the most prominent one was disbelief.

Her body stiffened slightly, and after a painstaking moment, she turned to face him directly.

"Hiro…?" She gasped, a hand placed over her mouth.

His eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. His big, brilliant mind literally couldn't grasp the idea that the girl he'd been missing for the past _six years_ was standing mere feet from him. Hiro blinked and shook his head, halfway expecting the image to waver or disappear. However, once it didn't, he found a toothy smile parting his lips.

"Wow… um… hi…" he said with a nervous wave of his hand.

When Hiro first saw the startled girl in the alleyway, he knew she looked familiar. Too familiar, honestly. Whether it was the mess of curly, tangled hair even more untamed than his own, or those big hazel eyes... a part of him wanted to think it was Rikku, wanted to believe that the teen in his sights was the same pudgy faced, quick witted child that he remembered from his childhood. However, the idea just seemed too irrational to him, and he had pushed it to the back of his mind.

The young science prodigy suddenly found himself unable to move. _Would it be alright to hug her? It had been a while, maybe a handshake would suffice? Or maybe-_

His rampant and rather ridiculous questions were answered as a pair of arms wrapped around his armored frame, squeezing him ever so tightly. The girl had practically pounced on him, and Hiro's posture became rigid as he attempted to keep them from tumbling to the ground. Rikku buried her face in the nape of his neck, her cheeks brushing against his own. "No way! No freaking way! Hiro?!" she exclaimed, squeezing him harder. "I can't believe it's really you! I mean you're- and you- and I- I just can't believe it!" Hiro was a bit taken aback by the contact, and swallowed thickly as her breath breezed past his ear.

"It's… I, um," Hiro felt the heat in his face as he tried to figure out the right words. "It's good to see you too Rikku, but… I… can't… breathe-!"

Noticing his awkward posture, Rikku quickly released him, regret setting inas she heard him take a much needed breath of air.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Rikku apologized, biting her bottom lip in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to… I mean, I know it's weird, but…" she trailed off, trying to find the perfect words. "It's just, you have no idea how happy I am to see you, dude." The teen felt her cheeks burn, and she cleared her throat before brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

Hiro was silent for a moment, eyes wide and mouth opening and closing as if he was unsure of how to speak. However, once he seemed to find his vocabulary, all his words spewed out at once. "N-no! You don't have to apologize! It's amazing to see you, I'm just kind of shocked- I mean, I can't believe that you're-you're all... you know…. grown up." He finished lamely. The prodigy winced at his words_. All grown up? Really? What are you, her seventy five year old uncle?_

Rikku smiled at his nervous stammering, her previous notions of him being upset fading. "I see your adorkability hasn't changed much," she teased, causing the boy the blush slightly. "Yeah puberty hit me kind of hard once I left. But like you're one to talk, look at you! Seems like somebody finally grew into their features." Rikku smiled lightheartedly and comfortable laughter filled the air for a while.

Hiro rubbed the back of his neck as the chuckling subsided. He had been stuck at five feet for the longest time, and these past two years had put him through a rather creepy growth spurt; he was well past GoGo and almost the same height as Aunt Cass. It was an adjustment everyone was still trying to get used to.

"Yeah, well that's a lot, coming from a girl whose head was way too big for her shoulders."

Rikku was surprised to hear his snarky retort, and she felt her shield come down completely as her playful glare was met with lips parted into a Cheshire cat grin. "Okay, first of all." Rikku stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Don't start something you can't finish, Hamada. I have _way_ more dirt to dish out on you than you do with me." She quipped, another smirk pulling at the edge of her lips. "Second of all, unlike some people I know -*cough* you *cough*- my head and body were correctly proportioned as a kid, thank you very much."

"Well, first of all," Hiro mocked, making a face at her. "You're the one who started it. And second of all, you were a total bobble head."

Rikku punched him impishly in the chest, and laughter filled the air again. The two teenagers found themselves sitting under the starry sky for what felt like hours, chatting away about nothing at all. They reminisced about all the trouble they got into when they were younger (as well as some of their personal misadventures from not too long ago). Rikku told him about her escape from security guards for sneaking into an "unauthorized area" when she was fourteen (it held the perfect canvas for a mural she had been working on), and Hiro shared how he graduated high school early, and, to Rikku's amazement, was now attending college. Her jaw dropped when he told her this. College? College?!

"But you _hated_ school!" Rikku exclaimed, clearly in shock. "In fact, I clearly remember a certain ten year old vowing to never step foot in another school once he graduated."

Rikku chuckled inwardly as she recalled the memory. Hiro had apparently been fed up with the idiots in his gym class, and decided it would be a good idea to drop a chemical bomb in the gymnasium pool. Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to actually witness such an event (being too preoccupied at her own hell hole of a school), but when Aunt Cass had explained why Hiro wasn't allowed to have company for a month, she couldn't contain her laughter.

"Trust me, I hardly believe I've come this far myself. I mean, if you had asked me to go to college two years ago, I would have said hell no," he explained with a cheesy grin "But this place is actually pretty cool. I feel like it's the only place that has anything else to teach me y'know?"

Rikku smirked. He was practically radiating as he talked about this place, and although she didn't quite understand, she was just happy to see him happy. "Whatever you say, brainiac." She replied.

Their conversation gave way to a comfortable silence and the two stared up into the deep blue sky, watching the twinkling stars and blinking lights of passing planes correspond with one another.

Rikku's mind soon began to wander. She couldn't believe that Hiro would put himself through all that schooling stuff again. Hiro, much like herself, hated it while growing up. He would always complain about how the other kids would bully him because he was so little, but at the same time exceedingly smart. Of course she was sympathetic for her friend, but she was never really able to share his pain. While Hiro was getting attacked for being too smart for his age, Rikku struggled to keep up with her classes, and was constantly made fun of for apparently being "too stupid".

"So what about you?" Hiro questioned suddenly, breaking Rikku out of her reverie.

She tilted her head to look at the boy lying beside her. "What about me, nerd?"

The corner of Hiro's mouth lifted into a smirk, "I mean how's school going? Last I remember, you were going to be the next big artist." His tone wasn't condescending or laced with an unbelieving sarcasm like Rikku was used to, but she still stiffened at the mention of her not-yet-accomplished goal set. Here Hiro was; 16, attended college, and being a freaking superhero on the side. What was she? A runaway street artist who was barely getting by in high school and would still be in said education system if it wasn't for a buddy of hers that was able to bypass the schools firewall and give her perfect attendance for the rest of the semester.

Pays to have cultured friends.

"It's... fine." she lied, "I mean, I'm no brainiac like you, but I'll get by. And as far as the whole artist thing? The best thing I'm doing right now is street art."

"Street art? You mean like…graffiti?" she heard a touch of amusement in his voice, and Rikku narrowed her eyes at the accusation. Seeing the tension on her face, Hiro's smug grin immediately wiped away.

"No. Not graffiti." Rikku corrected curtly as she sat up straight. "Nothing against graffiti artists, but street art is much more than just scribbling letters on walls. It speaks to the people y'know? It asks questions, gives them a different perspective, and makes them think differently about things." She sighed heavily, pulling her knees closer to her as a gust of wind blew past. "At least… that's what we hope it does, anyway."

"Wow," Hiro moved into sitting position as well. "You're really passionate about this stuff, huh?"

Rikku felt her cheeks heat up. Getting all "art preachy" wasn't her intention for the evening, but she was happy to know Hiro understood, nonetheless.

She turned to him with a small, appreciative grin."You have no idea."

It was then that Baymax -who, in fact, had been completely forgotten about by the two teens- waddled his way over them.

"Hiro, I am sorry to interrupt, but I must inform you that it is getting late," he said in that calm, cool tone of his, "I would recommend getting home before causing any unneeded emotional distress in your aunt."

The young superhero's eyes widened at the statement, and he quickly jumped to his feet. "Crap, you're right! Thanks, bud."

"A superhero/nurse/nanny, huh? I gotta say, you have quite the impressive machinery, Hamada." Rikku chuckled at the half-flustered expression on her friend's features and stood before dusting herself off.

Hiro quickly scaled his robot and attached himself to the back of the mechanical being before extending a hand to the Rikku. "Come on," he said, slightly rushed. "We should get going."

Rikku raised an eyebrow at the use of plural in his sentence. "Um, Hiro, where exactly are _we_ going?" she questioned.

"To my place, of course." He said matter-of-factly.

"Hiro... that's sweet but I don't want to impose, besides I don't know if Cass will-"

"Oh, please!" Hiro rolled his eyes, refusing to let his friend even _think_ that she could be a bother to his family. "Rikku, you're hurt and obviously don't have anywhere else to go, I'm not just going to leave you here. Besides, Aunt Cass is going to be ecstatic!"

Rikku bit the inside of her cheek, but otherwise didn't protest. She grabbed her stuff before taking his hand and allowing him to pull her up. She settled onto Hiro's back, wrapping her arms a little tighter than necessary around his waist, as if she were taking a ride on a motorcycle. The teen swallowed, unable to control the weird fluttering feeling in the pit of her gut.

"You ready back there?" there was an unsettling level of amusement in Hiro's voice and the mischievous smirk that he flashed her didn't help.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Came Rikku's rather hesitant reply.

"Try not to pass out this time okay?" Hiro chuckled and placed the helmet back on his head. Rikku opened her mouth to retort to his snarky tone, but was cut short by the familiar command of: "Thrusters on!"

And with that, Rikku found herself flying into the air at an incredible speed. It was different than the last, however. Instead of high pitched screams of panic and terror, Rikku was screaming with exhilaration as the wind rushed wildly through her hair.

The cold air pricked her skin, causing chills throughout her body, but she paid them no mind. The view was too amazing to care about such things. Despite her vision being mildly blurred by the wind hitting her head on, she took in the sparkly lights that looked like lanterns on the ground.

It was truly amazing.

With each passing minute, each foot that the pair elevated into the air, a feeling of giddiness raised in Rikku's being. She was actually really looking forward to seeing everyone. More excited than any non-family member should probably be. She hadn't realized just how much she missed the Hamada family until that moment. She found herself getting excited to listen to Aunt Cass' horribly cheesy yet mildly comical jokes, or seeing who could eat the most hot wings out of the four of them: Cass, Tadashi and herself. Speaking of which, she had yet to hear Hiro speak of the tall, lanky, robotics nerd known as his brother.

Rikku didn't bother pondering on the thought. She would see him soon enough, and when she did, she believed there was some much needed revenge in order for some unsuspecting and rather unforgiving noogying from the previous years…

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><p><strong><em>don't<em>**_** get your hopes up about that Rikku =(**_

_**alright so i know i couple of these chapters have been on the shorter side, but dont hate me lol i swear there is some interesting action coming up...**_

_**oh one last thing before you go! i finally got a tumblr account so if any of my readers are interested in chatting,rping or over all fangirling over bh6 or any other fandom for that matter fill free to follow me ^^ there's a link on my profile page.**_

_*****Please don't forget to leave feedback! i love hearing what my readers think!*****_


	6. First Impressions, Lost Connections

**_Hey guys! Okay sorry if some of you out there have gotten a double update with this chapter. Im having technical difficulties ;-;_**

**_Anyway thanks SOOOOOOO much to anyone who faved, followed or reviewed! Im really touched by all your kind words and appreciate all those who took the time to write them =)_**

**_Now ONWARD WITH THE CHAPTER! _**

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><p><strong><em> Chapter Six<em>**

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><p>Traveling by robot was definitely a mode of transportation that Rikku could get used to.<p>

It was a short commute, about ten minutes tops, and the runaway soon found herself landing soundlessly in an alleyway behind some kind of restaurant. By this time, it was completely dark outside - minus the illuminating glow from the streetlights - and it wasn't too difficult for the teens to sneak Baymax to the garage attached to the building without being seen.

"So... what are we doing here?" Rikku asked, rather confused that they were at an eatery rather than a house or duplex of some kind. She leaned against the building, raking her fingers through her completely windblown hair.

"Oh, that's right, you left before you got a chance to see it," Hiro stated as he grabbed a small cat-like lawn ornament and removed a key attached to the bottom. "Do you remember that loan Aunt Cass tried to get from that restaurant in the mission district?"

Rikku pondered on the thought for a second before nodding. "Yeah?"

"Well," Hiro continued, using the key to unlock the garage door, "She wasn't able to get financing for such a big place, so she tried for a small bakery instead. It took a bit, but she finally found this place, and it was just an added bonus that it had an apartment attached to it."

"Wow. That's awesome, Hiro." Rikku smiled softly, genuinely happy for the family's accomplishments. Cass had always talked about owning her own business, so it was cool to hear that she was finally able to live out her dream. Not to mention she was in dire need for a bigger place; the small duplex they had owned years ago was hardly big enough for one person, let alone two reckless boys and an always-visiting house guest.

The struggling noise of old gears was heard as Hiro lifted the heavy door. Once open, he flipped a small switch on the wall, causing a light to flicker to life seconds later. Rikku glanced around in awe as they entered the rather extensive space. While void of any cars, the garage was full of elaborate tech, workstations, and other cool, scientific looking stuff. All in all, it was interesting enough to make Tony Stark jealous.

"Whoa…" Rikku gasped in pure amazement as she examined some of the interesting knickknacks that littered the shelves, "Did you build all of this stuff?" Just then, a loud clanking sounded from behind her, and Rikku turned in time to see an impressive looking mechanism begin unhitching Baymax's armor; revealing his soft, marshmallow like interior.

"Yep," Hiro beamed, enjoying the look of admiration on his friend's face, "Well, most of it, anyway. It's kind of hard to find this kind of stuff at a department store." A confident smile parted his lips and he leaned against his now much more huggable looking robot.

To say she was impressed would be an understatement. Rikku always knew Hiro was smart, beyond smart, actually, but this was just amazing. "Wow," she mused, walking over to poke Baymax's pudgy belly. "I think I underestimated just how much of a nerd you really are, Hamada."

Hiro snickered, rolling his eyes as he removed his own armor, (which, thankfully, had clothes underneath). The teenagers stayed in the garage for a little while, chatting away while allowing Baymax to properly patch up Rikku's wounds. They then made their way to the upper level of the apartment.

"Hey, what about the big guy?" Rikku pointed her thumb over to the marshmallow of a companion as they reached the top of the stairs. He had waddled his way over to what Hiro had explained to be his charging station, his black optics closed in a sleep like trance.

Hiro hummed as he placed a finger against a metal plate attached to the door. There was a beeping sound heard, and within seconds it unlocked, earning yet another look of bafflement from the girl. "Don't worry," Hiro reassured before stepping inside, "He'll meet us upstairs."

Rikku raised an eyebrow at his rather nonchalant explanation. She was both interested and slightly frightened to find out exactly how a six foot tall vinyl robot was going to magically make his way out of the garage.

As she followed Hiro inside, Rikku found herself standing in a very charming looking café. It was a nice sized space; complete with lots of booths, tables and a yummy looking pastry counter. It was closed, but Rikku could definitely imagine the place bustling with hungry San Fransokyians ready for their morning treats before they headed out to work in the morning.

"This is so cool," Rikku mused, breathing in the deliciously spicy smell of what she assumed to be Aunt Cass' famous hot wings. The aroma was enough to earn a loud, greedy rumble from her stomach. The girl blushed, clearing her throat in a vain attempt to hide the ridiculous noises coming from of her belly.

"Sounds like someone's pretty hungry," Hiro teased as he closed the door behind them.

"Hehe, um, yeah... I-"

"Hiro? Is that you sweetie?" A woman's voice interrupted from upstairs, tiny traces of worry in her tone.

Hiro winced slightly, "Yeah, Aunt Cass, it's me!" he called back.

Rikku stuffed her hands in the pockets of her slightly muddy jeans, feeling a sudden wetness against her palms. Annoyingly enough, a wave of tension hit the teenager. Her stomach felt like there was a trapeze artist doing back flips in it, her mouth felt dry, and all of a sudden, she found herself rocking back and forth on the pads of her feet nervously.

Though she knew there was nothing to even be remotely anxious about, Rikku couldn't help it. After all, she wasn't exactly held to the highest respect in eyes of authority figures. Due to constantly ditching school growing up, she wasn't really favored by teachers or principals. Cops seemed to have it out for her line of "work", and parents of her peers just saw her as the delinquent teenager they didn't want their kids hanging out with.

Most of the time, Rikku made it a point to display herself as an extremely confident person, and she often pushed people's ignorance aside, letting them know that she couldn't care less what they thought of her. However, it was different when it came to Aunt Cass. Rikku actually _liked_ her, and had great admiration for the woman. Aunt Cass was pretty much a secondary parent to her; hard working and sweet. She welcomed Rikku into her home with open arms, paying no mind to the fact that she already had two wild boys of her own to deal with.

Rikku owed a lot to her, and she didn't exactly want to reunite when she was battered, slightly bruised, and all in all plain crappy looking.

"Hey, you alright? You look kind of sick."

Realizing that she had been staring at the floor for quite a while, Rikku glanced up to see concern in Hiro's dark brown eyes.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm fine!" The teen cleared her throat, brushing off his curious stare. "I guess I'm just kind of tired, is all." She flashed him a reassuring smile, and fortunately, Hiro didn't ask any more questions.

The two made their way up yet another tier of stairs, where a woman tinkering around in a small kitchenette awaited them. "Hiro Hamada, you're late for dinner again," she scolded as their feet creaked against the floor. Her back was turned toward the teens as she stood at the sink, scrubbing away at some dirty dishes.

"Sorry, Aunt Cass. I kind of got a little… held up." Hiro blushed slightly at his aunt's scolding tone while Rikku on the other hand flashed a smirk in his direction, highly amused.

"Excuses, excuses, young man. All I know is I had half a mind to feed your portion of wings to Mochi."

Biting her lip, Rikku's eyes lit up at the mention of the calico cat. She remembered finding him as the tiniest little thing when she was nine, and how she practically begged her father to let her keep him. Of course, he said no, dubbing the animal "too filthy" to keep in the house. She was more than disappointed, but was thankful that the Hamada family had a better appreciation for animals and opted to take him instead.

"Oh, by the way," Aunt Cass continued, bringing Rikku out of her reverie. Her back remained turned as she scrubbed relentlessly over crusty, old food that seemed to refuse to go away. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something. Now, I try my best not to snoop, but you left your laptop at the kitchen table and I reaallly want have a word with you about your internet history-"

"Aunt Cass, we have a guest!" Hiro interrupted, his tone desperate and rushed. He shifted awkwardly, and Rikku snorted as she tried with every ounce of her willpower not to burst into inappropriate laughter.

The woman immediately turned around, and Rikku bit the inside of her cheek as her eyes were met with familiar green ones. Cass wore a simple black shirt, which was covered by an apron that, in turn, was covered in a bright orange substance. Wing sauce, no doubt.

"Um… h-hey aunt- I mean, um… Miss Cass," the teen stammered nervously, unconsciously pushing a strand of hair from her face. She could see Hiro staring at her strangely out of the corner of her eye, but she tried to pay it no mind.

Yes, she was nervous to see Aunt Cass.

Yes, she was aware she was being completely ridiculous.

However, if there was anything that her father's constant scolding had drilled into her head over the years, it was that first impressions were everything. And, unfortunately for her, Rikku felt like she was already losing points with her crummy appearance.

Aunt Cass fell silent, a flicker of shock passing through her eyes.

"I, uh, know it's been a while," Rikku continued, gaze shifting ever so slightly to the floor, "and you probably don't remember me but I-"

"Rikku?" Cass gasped, placing a hand over mouth. Her eyes glistened with excitement, and within seconds Rikku found herself in the middle of a very tight embrace. She winced as the older woman squeezed her tightly, brushing past her bruises. The uncomfortable feeling quickly melted away however, and Rikku gave her tight squeeze right back. It was a blissful moment, though short lived as a sudden squeal exploded right next to Rikku's ear, ringing obnoxiously against her eardrum.

"GAH!" Aunt Cass exclaimed, releasing the girl from her hug and squishing her hands against her cheeks. "OMIGOODNESS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO? ITS BEEN SO LONG, LOOK HOW MUCH YOU'VE GROWN!" her rapid cooing caused Rikku to blush, and the teen tried to speak, although having her cheeks smushed together made it rather hard.

"Um, Aunt Cass," Hiro stepped in, an amused expression on his face, "I think she needs the use of her mouth in order to talk…"

Almost immediately the woman let go, pushing a strand of auburn hair from her face. "Oh, sorry!" she apologized with a light giggle. Rikku placed a hand over her now sore cheeks, flashing a sideways smile.

"Its fine," she brushed off, secretly quite pleased with her reaction. "It's really good to see you too Miss Cass."

"Aw sweetie, you know me! Just call me Aunt Cass!" The woman squealed. "Oh my goodness, you're probably starving, aren't you? You want something to eat?" she asked hurriedly, a slight hint of worry in her voice. She made it seem as if Rikku was emaciated beyond relief.

Rikku opened her mouth to answer, but an obnoxious growl from her gut beat her to it.

"I'll take that as a yes," Aunt Cass laughed. She quickly cleared off a small space at the kitchen table, urging Rikku to take a seat. She did, and Aunt Cass immediately brought her a plate of food which she more than gratefully devoured.

Soon after she was finished eating, the group of three found themselves doing a lot of catching up. Rikku filled them in on life in Newbai, sparing some of her less admirable adventures. She had reluctantly shared how her dad was doing, (trying to keep the bitterness in her tone to a minimum). She told them how business was going good for him, and that he was even working a new project for some kind of really important company.

They bantered on like that for better part of an hour, and although she was hoping to skip past it, Aunt Cass had wandered on the subject of what Rikku was doing in San Fransokyo all by herself. She explained that she was merely on a vacation of sorts (that her father knew everything about of course) and that she was on her way to a hotel when she ran into a bit of trouble, which was half true…

Even though Rikku didn't enjoy stretching the truth to the Hamada family, she knew it was for the best if they didn't know everything just yet. She couldn't risk Aunt Cass or Hiro shutting her out or turning her in if they found out the truth. She wouldn't be able to handle it.

"The nerve of some people!" Aunt Cass bellowed, as Rikku explained what had happened in the alley just hours before. Her eyes were furious, like she had half a mind to find the tool bag and kick his ass herself. Hiro also managed to chip in how her wallet was stolen, and how Rikku needed a place to stay. She blushed, obviously needing the help, but slightly embarrassed and ashamed of having to ask for it.

She hated feeling like a charity case. Even If she _was,_ in fact, a charity case.

"Well sweetie, you're more than welcome to say here for as long as you'd like!" Aunt Cass said kindly once Hiro finished. "Aww, this will be just like old times! We can bake cookies, and you can even bunk in Hiro's room!"

Rikku flashed a look over at Hiro, not wanting him to feel like she's bombarding on his privacy. "Are you sure that would be okay?" she asked innocently.

She couldn't pinpoint it, but she saw a flicker of something in Hiro's eyes that made her regret asking. "Yeah, that's fine," he said with the smallest of smiles. "You can have… you can have Tadashi old bed."

Rikku suddenly flashed a crooked smile of her own, not catching on the slightest remorse in Hiro's tone, or the way Aunt Cass' face fell a little.

All that her mind focused on at that moment was Tadashi.

"That reminds me," Rikku started, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Where is that big lug anyway? Is he here? Oh man, I dunno about you Hiro, but I say some serious payback is in order for…"

Rikku trailed off as she finally acknowledged the Hamada family's expressions. Sad and remorseful. "I'm… I'm sorry…" she apologized, though she couldn't fully understanding what she was asking forgiveness for. What was wrong? Did something happen?

"No, there's no need to apologize, hun, it's just…" Aunt Cass sighed heavily, her eyes glazing with tears. "There was an accident a couple years ago... a fire and he… Tadashi… didn't make it out. I'm afraid he's no longer with us."

Rikku felt her heart shatter, the rigid pieces falling into her stomach and cutting everything on the way down.

what?

No.

It wasn't true.

In a moment of shock, Rikku actually had to suppress an unbelieving snort. They was no way. No, they were just pulling a god awful prank to mess with her, right? Tadashi was going to come running down the stairs to put her in a headlock like he always did when she came over. Then he would make fun of her hair like he always did, even know he was partially responsible for messing it up in the first place. Any minute now, she would see those big dorky ears or ridiculous smile that would brighten up her stormiest days, and she would hug him like no tomorrow because she hasn't been able to do that for six long years.

Rikku swallowed the enormous lump in her throat, and she looked over at Hiro, whose gaze was on the floor. She then glanced back to Aunt Cass, whose own stare was distant and sorrowful. It wasn't a prank, and Rikku realized she hadn't said a single word since the dreadful news had been uttered. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't. She felt like someone was choking her and her eyes burned with tears, though she didn't dare let them fall.

It wasn't her place to cry over Tadashi.

Although she loved him like a brother, she had no right to mourn over such an amazing person. He was _Hiro's_ brother. _Aunt Cass'_ nephew. Their family. Not hers.

It didn't matter how much she wanted to cry, wanted to bawl and curse and scream. To do such a thing would be selfish. She needed to be strong for the people in front of her. The people who really lost someone.

Rikku swallowed again, and wiped her now puffy eyes before tears could fall. "I-I'm s-so sorry…" she finally stammered out, her vision slightly blurred. Her jaw clenched as she realized she was failing miserably at keeping her emotions in check. Tadashi is… dead. Tadashi died. And where was she?

Her friends were mourning over a great loss and she didn't even know. Didn't get to comfort them. Didn't get a chance to say goodbye.

Rikku felt nauseated beyond belief, and she sniffed noisily as a tear managed to make her way down her cheek. A warm hand was suddenly placed on her own, and through blurry eyes Rikku looked up to see Aunt Cass giving her a reassuring smile. She winced. How pathetic of her. She should be the one lending a comforting hand, not the other way around.

"Tadashi is… was a great guy. I'm… I'm really sorry for your loss," she managed to choke out.

There was a still silence for a few moments, and Rikku glanced over to see Hiro still staring down at the wood flooring beneath his feet.

Without warning, Rikku found herself lunging toward him for the second time that day. She pulled him over the table and into the tightest hug, softly sniffling into his neck. "I'm so sorry Hiro." She said tenderly, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm so sorry…" she repeated once more. Rikku didn't give the boy a chance to respond properly, for as quickly as it happened the moment was over and she pulled away before turning to Aunt Cass. "I'm…I'm sorry but... would you mind if I took a quick shower?" she asked quietly, her voice wavering slightly.

Aunt Cass smiled weakly at her, "Of course not, hun, the bathroom is upstairs to the left. I'll get you a towel."

Rikku nodded her thanks, before following Cass' directions to the restroom, where she hoped the hot steam and the sound of running water would drown out her heavy, heartfelt sobs for the loss of her friend.

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><p><strong><em><strong><em>Alright guyys thats it for now =D As usual id like to give a big thank you to friend and editor <em>**Melanie-March **_for taking the time to look over this for me._** I **_cant thank you enough ^^_**_**

**_Oh! And in other author related news, i so stupidly decided to take on yet another BH6 story. (don't worry it doesn't mean i'm giving up on this one) its labeled "a light that never goes out." So if any of you are up for some MAJOR heart-wrenching Tadashi feels, feel free to take check it out. (Terminal! Tadashi au) _**

**_ thanks so much for taking the time to read! have a good weekend! 3_**

**_Reviews and constructive criticism very much appreciated ^^_**


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